Although the term Smart Cities has become more popular for the general public, the European Commission uses the terms smart cities and smart communities rather interchangeably, aimed at the well-being of their inhabitants, businesses, visitors, organisations and administrators (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/smart-cities-and-communities). Sometimes the term Smart Cities often refer to urban areas while smart communities consider rather rural and non-urban areas with the same purpose of ICT for quality of life. The perspectives of the smart cities IoT market in Europe alone...

In an increasingly competitive and evolving global tourism sector, the integration of smart cities and technology is reshaping how destinations attract and engage tourists. By leveraging the following strategic axes, Smart Destinations can enhance the tourist experience and community management simultaneously: Governance Innovation Technology Universal Accessibility Sustainability The Basque Country exemplifies this shift, where six locations have been recognized this year as six Smart Tourism Destinations: Bidasoa, Bilbao, Busturialdea-Urdaibai, Debagoiena, Getxo and Valles Alaveses,...

Do you know AURORAL? AURORAL is a public funded project under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, including 30 partners from 10 different European countries and 5 Pilot Regions. It focuses on increasing connectivity and delivering a digital environment of smart objects interoperable services platforms able to trigger dynamic rural ecosystems of innovation chains, applications and services.  AURORAL's goal is to use digitization for improving rural regions in many aspects, like economical growth, social aspects or to contribute to overcome the digital divide between rural and urban areas....

Last week, on April 10th and 11th, the Politeknika Txorierri school in Derio hosted a new face-to-face meeting for the SMACITE project in their premises. This gathering meant a significant step in our collaborative efforts to bridge the skills gap for technicians and engineers in smart cities. SMACITE Project Goals: the project is dedicated to designing and testing a vocational education and training program. Our innovative, multidisciplinary curriculum blends key digital skills for smart cities enabling technologies with competencies in sustainability, entrepreneurship, and soft skills. 🤝...

Francisco J. Martinez from University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain, Chaker Abdelaziz Kerrache, from Université Amar Telidji de Laghouat, Laghouat, Algeria and Abderrahmane Lakas from UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates are the editors of the special issue of IET “Smart Cities” on Drones for smart cities, November 2022. Smart cities and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are two relatively recent concepts and also hot topics in research. The combination of these two technologies is expected to propel their capabilities even further for enabling revolutionary applications that will improve...

Have you heard about the EU Smart Communities Network Living in EU? It's not just about smart cities; it's about fostering a vision of smart communities, the European way of digital transformation in cities and communities. In this innovative network, digital solutions are more than just technology – they're the building blocks of vibrant, liveable spaces where people thrive in their daily lives and work. The emphasis is on creating environments people genuinely enjoy, shaping a future where technology enhances our communities. They include approaches to smart urban mobility, energy efficiency,...

The first national workshop of the SMACITE project in Italy took place between the end of October and December allowed companies, H/VET providers and public bodies to meet and let them know the latest news about the SMACITE project, the partnership, the project objectives and expected results. Apro Formazione chose to organise the event by dividing it into four sessions for specific audiences in order to facilitate participation and deepen the most important aspects for each type of user.  The Italian SMACITE project team met teachers from the Liceo Scientifico Cocito in Alba and representatives...

Embarking on a transformative journey, the SMACITE project is thrilled to collaborate with Green-Co, another innovative Erasmus + initiative, to redefine the landscape of Smart Cities in the search of sustainability. The GreenCo project focuses mainly on green IT and computing in order to mitigate Digital Pollution, promote efficient energy consumption and e-waste recycling, looking to raise awareness about the environmental effect of excessive data use and to suggest simple and easy-to-implement solutions to minimize it.  Together, these programs, Smart Cities and Green-Co, weave a powerful...

On Thursday 23rd November 2023 the first national workshop of the SMACITE project took place at the premises of the University of Patras, in Patras, Greece. The workshop has been co-organized by University of Patras and Olympic Training and Consulting, partners in the SMACITE project. During the workshop the following presentations took place: The SMACITE Erasmus+ project (University of Patras). Metacities: Using digital twins for creating Smart Cities (University of Peloponnese). Actions to promote green living spaces for effective cooperation in the Mediterranean region (Region of Western...